Spain’s versatile warrior Alcaraz passionately clashes with Norway’s rising star Ruud this afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon, in the last quarterfinal match of the ATP500 Tokyo event, the injured world number one, Spain’s versatile warrior Alcaraz, showed outstanding form by beating the world number 33, American Brandon Nakashima of Japanese-Vietnamese heritage, in straight sets, advancing to his ninth consecutive tour semifinal this season.

Due to a left ankle injury, Alcaraz, despite the mild pain, adjusted his game plan: avoiding prolonged baseline rallies, reducing the number of points played, and continuously launching aggressive forehand and backhand attacks; he skillfully employed drop shots and net approaches, even rushing the net on second serves to apply pressure.

Compared to his previous rounds against Argentina’s short-statured Baez and Belgium’s young talent Berghes, Alcaraz’s forehand and backhand attacks were smoother in the quarterfinal against Nakashima, frequently scoring winners, significantly reducing unforced errors, and not losing a single service game nor conceding any break points throughout the match.

Turning a setback into an advantage, Alcaraz, playing through injury, was forced to modify his strategy to minimize aggravating his condition and avoid re-injury by speeding up the pace, enhancing offensive power, limiting baseline duels, and reducing movement. This adjustment proved highly effective, as it neither worsened his injury nor prevented him from winning three consecutive matches in straight sets. His overwhelming attacking strength and excellent shot feel left his opponents with no chance.

At 5 PM today, in the second semifinal of the ATP500 Tokyo tournament, Alcaraz will face Norway’s rising star Ruud, surely continuing to implement the effective strategy mentioned above, but whether it will remain successful is yet to be seen.

Born in December 1998, Ruud once held the top spot in the junior world rankings and turned professional in 2015. On September 13, 2021, Ruud first entered the top ten in the world rankings. The 2022 season marked the highlight of his career, reaching the finals of the Miami Masters, French Open, and US Open, achieving his highest career ranking of world number two on September 12, and advancing to the final of the ATP Turin year-end finals, finishing the year ranked second in the world.

In the 2023 French Open, Ruud reached his third Grand Slam final. At the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters semifinal, Ruud defeated then-world number one and Serbian star Djokovic.

Swiss legend Federer praised Ruud, saying, “He truly makes his topspin, variety, and sliding movement effective on clay.” Serbian star Djokovic also agreed, stating, “Clay is definitely Ruud’s favorite surface, and he performs exceptionally well on it.”

However, despite being a top player, especially on clay, before the 2025 season, Ruud had won 12 titles but none at major events (Grand Slams, year-end finals, Masters 1000), nor any clay Masters titles. Fellow players born in ’95, like Germany’s Zverev, Greece’s Tsitsipas, and Russia’s Rublev, have all won multiple clay Masters titles. Even Russia’s Medvedev, who traditionally struggles on and dislikes clay, claimed a Rome clay Masters title, making Ruud’s situation somewhat frustrating.

Fortunately, at this year’s Madrid Masters, Ruud finally secured the most important title of his career and re-entered the top ten in the world rankings. This victory greatly boosted Ruud’s confidence, enthusiasm, and potential for better results.

So far in their careers, Ruud and Alcaraz have faced each other five times, with Ruud losing the first four before earning a win in last year’s ATP Turin year-end finals group stage. Now, meeting in the ATP500 Tokyo semifinals, with Alcaraz playing injured and Ruud performing well in lower-tier events, this intense encounter promises to be fiercely contested and unpredictable.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicidoufan)